Alaska Cites Unfair Advantage In Banning Drone-Assisted Game Hunting

Hunters in Alaska will no longer be able to send GoPro cameras up into the air in search of big game.

Although drone-assisted hunting isn't quite widespread yet, the Alaska Board of Game cited an unfair advantage for hunters using unmanned aircraft when it voted unanimously to approve a measure prohibiting the practice earlier this month, the Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday.

"Other people don't have a fair opportunity to take game if somebody else is able to do that," Wildlife Troopers Capt. Bernard Chastain told the newspaper of drone-assisted hunting. "On the biology side, if you make it too easy to take animals, then there's not opportunity for everybody else out there, because they can only allow so many animals to be taken."

The language of the measure also prohibits hunting with the aid of "poison, bombs, radio communication or exploding salt licks, among other things," according to the Anchorage Daily News.

At the other end of the spectrum, a measure to permit the hunting of drones is on the table in Colorado. A petition drive in the small town of Deer Trail succeeded in placing a proposal to issue drone-hunting permits on the ballot, but it has yet to see a vote.

About The Author

Catherine Thompson is a senior editor for Talking Points Memo in New York City. She came to the site in 2013 and reported on national affairs. Previously, she worked as a research assistant to investigative reporter Wayne Barrett. She can be reached at catherine@talkingpointsmemo.com.